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Nick wandered around the castle, or more accurately, in the wing of the castle where the ballroom was located. Although he wanted to get himself lost exploring the entire castle, but due to its vastness, he cannot do so; he does not want to be too far away from the ballroom, from where Rosette was.
As he walked along the corridors, he saw, rather he thought he saw a white silhouette at his peripheral vision. He looked towards it, and thought that might be a slight breeze blowing through a white curtain. But he only saw an entrance leading to another hallway.
Intrigued and a bit confused, Nick entered and was led to an unfamiliar area. It was a huge room full of displays of relics and different weaponry and armory, and on the walls hung paintings and portraits of the royal family, from the first king of the old Grantheim up to the current family.
He looked at each with great reverence, until he saw a solo portrait of the Crown Prince. Below the painting was a label inscribed with: Prince Alexander Revonhelm, Crown Prince of Grantheim.
Nick stared at Alexander’s face and chuckled. The crown prince seemed very serious, or at least tried to. For Nick, the prince’s face was still genial, despite its seemingly sharp features; the hazel eyes were gentle, and mouth looked like a suppressed smile. He commended the artist for painting the prince’s exact features and at the same time making Alexander look stern, but Nick could only think of him dressed in rags and covered in dirt, years ago when the they, along with Rosette, ran on the streets of the Eselian captial.
Not wanting to see the picture again, Nick moved towards other paintings. There were portraits of the kings and queens, prince and princesses, some solo while others together as a family.
“This”, he thought, “is more interesting than the ball”.
Alone, with nothing to think of but what is in front of him was one of Nick’s ideal relaxation. As he gazed upon painting after painting, he’d comment about the person in the painting, of how either he or she expressed his or her authority, and so on. He’d like to think about how this family got hold of the power for many generations. But what piqued his interest the most was the painting of the famous King Arturo Revonhelm, the one who united the kingdoms.
“Indeed,” Nick thought, “King Arturo was something else.”
Grey hair, a pale, stern face and dark eyes as if he was made of ice, the late king’s features looked terrifying, and at the same time, majestic. Nick felt as if King Arturo was still alive, especially his eyes, which seemed stared deep inside his soul, ready to devour him in any second.
“You’ve been staring at that painting for a long time now.”
Nick’s heart jumped, shocked upon hearing another voice. He turned towards its direction slowly, and saw a young lady a few feet from him, who then was looking at another picture. He didn’t speak to her yet, as he was trying to collect his composure. She turned towards him, and smiled. Yet somehow, for Nick, it wasn’t reassuring; he was a bit frightened with her pale skin and long, black hair, let alone the fact that she wore a simple white flowing gown.
She began to walk towards him, and Nick instinctively walked backwards. When she saw him do so, she was surprised and then paused. He thought that this was the perfect time to escape, but then he saw her smile widened.
“How rude,” she said, “Even though I was the one who should be terrified.”
Instead, Nick found himself unable to move, trembling in his place while the lady continued to walk towards him until she was only a few inches in front of him. She raised her hand and reached towards him; Nick then closed his eyes tightly, and silently prayed to the heavens for mercy. Suddenly, he felt a warm pressure on his left cheek.
“It’s warm, isn’t it?” she remarked.
True enough, he felt the warmth of her hand. He opened his eyes, and they met with her deep set of dark blue eyes. Nick finally calmed down, and looked at her closely. He observed that she had full bangs which slightly hid her eyebrows, and side fringes cut below her cheekbones. She stood few inches shorter than him, and was slightly smaller built than Rosette.
She withdrew her hand, and then snickered. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I won’t be haunting you soon.”
Nick, realizing she had grasped what he thought of her, looked down and blushed. His reaction caused the lady to burst out laughing, and this added to his embarrassment.
“P-pardon me, my lady, for offending you,” Nick finally said.
The lady ceased laughing and replied, “Relax, no offense taken. Do you have other concerns?”
“A-are you from around here?” Nick asked.
“I’m not,” she replied, “However, I do believe that was not what you wanted to ask.”
“T-then, m-may I ask how you manage to read my mind about you?”” Nick asked sheepishly.
“Oh, my! Still tensed, aren’t you?” the lady remarked and chuckled. Nick remained silent.
She smiled at him, then looked at the painting of the late king, and said, “What can you say about this portrait? Although I cannot deny your fascination for it; your loud musings had stated so. That is why I was the one supposed to be frightened.”
“Because you thought you were alone in this room before I came?” Nick said innocently.
“No,” she replied and then looked at him, “It’s because I thought you were talking to someone I cannot see.”
Nick had not expected her reply, and suddenly burst out laughing. For him, it was amusing that while he thought of her as a ghost, she, on the other hand, thought he was insane.
“You laughed at last!” the lady said and giggled, “At least now you could relax in my presence.”
“It’s not my intention, my lady,” Nick said after he stopped laughing, “I do apologize for my behaviour. Oh, and I believe I hadn’t introduced myself. I am called Nicholas Steward, my lady.” After introducing himself, he bowed.
“You don’t have to be too formal to me, Nicholas,” the lady said.
‘Ah, perhaps she’s a commoner, like me,’ Nick thought.
“It’s alright to call me ‘Nick’, you know?” he remarked, “I fear ‘Nicholas’ is a bit too long to say.”
“Hmmm, such shame,” she replied, “you have a wonderful name, Nicholas, and to cut it because of its length. I also have a wordy name, too.” She then extended her hand, and said, “Felicity. Felicity Ravenhart. It is a pleasure to meet you, Nicholas.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Nick replied, shook her hand, and chuckled.
“Is there something wrong, Nicholas?” Felicity asked and smiled, “are you amused that I am literally named ‘happiness’ by my parents?”
“No, not that,” Nick replied, “Ravenhart, was it?”
“What about it?” asked Felicity.
“That’s also a joke, right? You, a Ravenhart!” Nick said, “If I were you, I would have picked another family name.”
“Why is that so?”
“Well, for starters the Ravenharts were already extinct years ago,” Nick said, “Moreover, the name is now synonymous with treachery, since they betrayed King Artorius in the past, right?”
Felicity smiled and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“By the way, Miss Felicity,” Nick said, “I’m afraid you haven’t answered my question.”
“Which is?”
“About how you manage to read my thoughts about you.”
“Oh, that,” Felicity said and then looked at the painting once more, “I did ask you your opinions about the King Artorius’ portrait, didn’t I? We established your admiration with the painting, but you haven’t told me why.”
Nick also looked at the painting, and replied, “In all my honesty, there wasn’t a definite reason why. It could be the eyes, which looked alive, or his built, or his aura of command. Perhaps I am in awe of him; he’s a great man, with all those achievements he had done for the kingdom...,” he paused, turned to Felicity and said, “wait, what does it have to do with my question?”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Felicity said without taking her gaze from the painting, “Portraits are meant to capture the appearances of those being painted; however, painters could also capture other things, such as their expression, and overall, convey what they wanted to say, be it a message or an impression of authority, just like you said a while ago.”
“But, portraits are just still images,” Felicity continued, “the message they project can be somewhat limited. On the other hand, people have unlimited expressions, therefore countless messages to tell even in a single gesture. They can either show or suppress them at the same time, making them hard to read; however, in a critical eye, an observant could catch some of these and subsequently read the actions of other people.”
“Then, you have ‘read’ my actions?” asked Nick.
“Yes, especially your reaction upon seeing me” Felicity answered and turned to Nick, “Your shock at the beginning was expected; however, as I approached you, I was astonished why you walked away from me. Then, I saw you trembling, standing still instead of escaping, and upon closer inspection, your face having gone pale, and cold when I touched you.”
“With that, you could tell everything?” Nick asked.
“No,” Felicity answered, “It was clear to me that you were terrified of my presence, but that doesn’t tell why you were afraid. When I told you that I ‘wouldn’t be haunting you soon’, you could have denied that you’ve thought that I was something supernatural. Instead, you blushed, and I assumed that was due to embarrassment; therefore, it was you who confirmed my speculation.”
“But how about you saying your hands being warm?” Nick said, “Doesn’t it tell that you just told me you’re alive?”
“It could be,” she said, “but I like said a while ago it could also mean something else; it could be that I was comforting you from your fear, or that I was just messing with you.”
Nick was amused of her answer, laughed and said, “I wonder which one it meant though?”
“Pick whatever you like,” said Felicity.
“It’s really amazing, that skill of yours,” Nick said to her, “For just a moment, you could know about other people even before introductions.”
“Not really,” said Felicity, “It doesn’t tell exactly about the entire person, but it helps, though.”
“I’m not being entirely pompous, but I could show you that even you can do it,” she added, “Shall we leave this room and find a crowded place?”
“How about the ballroom?” Nick suggested, “You’re here for the party, aren’t you?”
“Sadly, no; I’m here to admire the portraits,” replied Felicity as she glanced about the room.
“Oh, come on! Everyone looked forward for the Prince’s birthday!” said Nick.
“Everyone, Nicholas?” Felicity remarked in a playful manner, and then looked at him. Nick responded playfully, “Alright, most of the people looked forward to it. We might as well enjoy this night. Right, Miss Felicity?”
“Well then, shall we head to the ball?” she said, and then the two walked out of the room.
Soon, they reached the hallway which led to the ballroom. Along the way, Nick asked, “By the way, if you aren’t here for the ball…”
“Business, Nicholas,” interrupted Felicity, “I was here for an important business.”
“Ohhh.”
Nick thought that she might not want to talk about it, and decided not to press her for answers.
“Disappointed?” Felicity asked.
“No,” Nick replied, and after a few moments of silence, continued, “Although I did expect you to say something outrageous, like finding a hidden treasure or something.”
Felicity chuckled and said, “I’m sorry for dashing your hopes. Nicholas, you…”
“Oh, we’re here!” Nick interrupted. The two stopped in front of a small door.
“Hmmm, I rather expect a huge entrance door,” Felicity remarked.
“There is a larger entrance door,” Nick clarified, “However, I think it would be best if we entered, well, covertly.”
“If you say so.”
Nick proceeded to push the door, but when he glanced at Felicity, he saw that she just stood still.
“What’s the matter?” Nick asked. “Cold feet?”
“No,” Felicity said, “I was thinking, if you thought I was a ghost back there, then it’ll be more likely that they will think the same. I think it’s because of my hair.”
“Well, as you have said, you don’t really know if that is the one they’re thinking of,” Nick stated. “Although it’s not only the hair which makes you look like one,” Nick thought.
Felicity glanced left, and then right. Then, she walked towards the flower vase a few inches from the door and pulled the ribbon which was tied around the vase. She began to tie her hair in a bun using her fingers as her comb, and fastened her hair with the ribbon she took.
“Tada!” she exclaimed. “What do you think?”
“Your hair’s a bit messy, and the bun’s inclined to the right,” Nick replied.
“It’s part of its appeal,” said Felicity, “Oh and for finishing touches…”
She took a white rose from the bouquet, carefully cut the stem short and inserted the flower on top of her bun. “Let's go inside, Nicholas.”
- END CHAPTER -
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